FORT LEE — Years ago, a districtwide student contest to label a street near the George Washington Bridge led to the naming of Martha Washington Way.

But for marketing purposes, borough officials renamed it Park Avenue last year, upon the request of the developer of The Modern, the 47-story residential towers whose property abuts the street.

Now, in that same area of town, another student-led project will soon be on display.

During the school year that just ended, fifth- and sixth-graders in the district's Gifted and Talented program competed in nine teams, designing benches for public spaces.

A representative for The Modern, Councilman Armand Pohan and a Fort Lee Education Foundation member last month selected the top three designs, said Elsa Osso, one of two Gifted and Talented teachers at the elementary schools. The winning designs will serve as models for benches that will be installed in a park as part of a downtown redevelopment area that includes The Modern and the Hudson Lights, a primarily retail component.

Early on, professionals were recruited to speak to students about construction materials and the architectural aspects of design, Osso said.

"They really owned their designs," she said of the students, who sketched and presented their visions in a PowerPoint presentation before the judges.

A team of fifth-graders from School 1 placed first, followed by a group of sixth-graders from School 1 and a team of fifth-graders from School 3.

Nicole Huh and Russell Yum, members of the team that took second place, both said the process — from concept to something more tangible while working as a team — was at times frustrating, but also rewarding. Paying homage to Fort Lee's history as the birthplace of the film industry, their team designed seating to look like a film roll, with a clapper board as back support.

"At times it was frustrating because you couldn't get the exact design to work," Huh said. "But it was fun to create new ideas with your teammates. I learned sometimes you can't always be right and you have to listen to other people's ideas."

Her teammate expressed pride over the thought that something he helped design will one day be used by the public.

"It's a really special feeling that if I'm going down the road with my friends that I can point out that that bench was designed by me and my friends," Yum said.

Mayor Mark Sokolich said he was awed by the students' creativity.

"That's the beauty of art," he said. "Every single design was separate and distinct. … I never could design what these kids designed."

Project costs have not been determined, but funding likely will come from the developer of The Modern, the Fort Lee Education Foundation and private sponsors, Osso said.

The benches mark at least the second design project that she and co-teacher Maria Soria have coordinated for their pupils. Last year, students worked on an interior design project for a basement. Such projects allow students to have tangible results while applying a variety of skills, Osso said.

"Essentially it involves science, math, art, engineering," she said. "And because of the collaboration and learning how to work within the parameters of individual personalities, we like the team approach. We like the fact that it exposes them to so many aspects of learning."